Protestors march Saturday in Washington, D.C.
“I’m proud to march,” said Duncan, who did not speak at the March and rally organized by civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton. “Black lives matter.”
Diverse spotted Duncan approaching Michael Brown Sr.—the father of the 18-year-old Ferguson, Mo., teenager who was gunned down in August—and offering his condolences.
Duncan’s unusual presence at the gathering might be viewed as tacit endorsement by the Obama administration for police reform, in the wake of the refusal by grand juries to indict police officers who killed unarmed Black men and boys in Staten Island, N.Y., and Ferguson.
The issue has been particularly tough for Obama, who has been cautious throughout his presidency when it comes to racial issues, much to the chagrin of some who had hoped that the nation’s first Black president could help to improve the climate for African-Americans.
Protesters, armed with posters and chants, descended on Pennsylvania Avenue, calling for the federal government to do more to closely monitor the actions of local police officers.
Saturday’s March was interracial and intergenerational, with college students marching alongside well-known academics like Dr. Michael Eric Dyson of Georgetown.
